


Takeoffs and Landings

by Alpined



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 03:56:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4772600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alpined/pseuds/Alpined
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla just wants to get back to Vancouver without anyone bothering her. Laura has a debilitating fear of flying. Guess who she's sitting next to?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As a general rule, Carmilla Karnstein did not wake up gracefully. This morning was no exception. The grating buzz of her iphone alarm jarred her out of a very pleasant dream involving a whiskey luge and a naked train conductor.

“What the fuck,” she groaned, flopping her hand blindly towards the side where her bedside alarm was. Instead of hitting the table, her arm whacked something that felt suspiciously like a human face.

“Harghmp,” said whoever was attached to the face. That woke Carmilla right up. She rose to her elbow, her brain suddenly registering that she wasn’t in her apartment in Vancouver – she was in a hotel suite in Montreal. And she wasn’t alone. The woman – Becky? Betty? Some other B name? ( _God_ , Carmilla thought, _I’m such an asshole_ ) was blinking confusedly at her, clearly also a little fuzzy about her surroundings. Then her eyes widened with realization, before her expression quickly shifted over to smug.

“Morning, Carmen,” she said sleepily, her blond hair comically mussed from sex and sleep. Carmilla knew it was pure hypocrisy, but she still felt a little stung that Whats-Her-Name hadn’t gotten her name right. Then again, they’d both had more than a couple of drinks before stumbling their way back to Carmilla’s room last night.

“Morning, cutie,” Carmilla said, falling comfortably into morning-after terms of endearment. “Sorry for the rude awakening.”

The woman shrugged. “You were rude last night too – didn’t bother me then.”

Carmilla grinned and was about to say something charming and slightly suggestive when there were a rapid series of knocks on the door, followed almost immediately by the sound of a keycard and said door being flung open. Carmilla groaned and fell back into her pillow, knowing just what to expect as Matzka barged in.

Matzka barely even registered the mostly-naked woman next to Carmilla. She just rolled her eyes and let out an unnecessarily dramatic sigh. To her credit, Whats-Her-Name didn’t seem particularly shocked by Matzka’s sudden appearance – she just cocked an eyebrow and looked between the two of them.

“Carmilla, it’s 7:30 am,” Matzka said pointedly. “You’ve got to be out of here in 45 minutes if you want to make your flight.”

“Remember when we used to have something called _boundaries_ , Mattie?” Carmilla drawled.

“Not really,” Mattie said dryly, though Carmilla thought she caught a trace of amusement in her tone. “Now take a shower and put some clothes on – mother will kill you if you miss your flight back.”

Carmilla sighed and turned back to her “date,” her tone apologetic. “Sorry about her – she’s my sister, so she thinks she’s entitled to be annoyingly invasive. She’s right, though – I do have a flight to catch. But you can stay if you want – the room is booked until noon.”

“Tempting,” the woman said, raising an eyebrow. “But there’s no way I’m falling back asleep now, and I don’t particularly want to get caught in the middle of whatever… _this_ is,” she continued, waving a hand vaguely in their direction. She got up to look for her clothes, clearly unconcerned that both Carmilla and Mattie had a full view of her naked body. 

“I’ll wait in the other room,” Mattie said, shaking her head resignedly and pulling out her work phone. 

The woman dressed quickly but not hurriedly, before turning to Carmilla, who still hadn’t mustered the energy to get out of bed and was rather enjoying the view. The woman gave a little laugh before grabbing the hotel notepad off the side table and scribbling something down. She tore off a sheet and handed it to Carmilla. It had the word “Betty” and a phone number scrawled underneath. Carmilla felt an irrational stab of satisfaction that she had (almost) remembered the woman’s name.

“Call me if you’re ever in Montreal again, Carmilla,” Betty said, leaning down to give Carmilla a lingering kiss.

“Will do,” Carmilla said with a smirk, watching appreciatively as Betty walked to the living room.

Carmilla heard Mattie’s patently insincere, “Have a pleasant morning, darling,” before hearing the sound of the door opening and closing. With a sigh, Carmilla rolled out of bed.

“I’m taking a shower now!” Carmilla shouted, pre-empting whatever scolding was sure to come from Mattie.

Carmilla showered and dressed quickly, throwing on some torn black jeans and her black You Do You shirt. Mattie wandered into the room as she was packing, shaking her head in disgust at the way Carmilla was haphazardly stuffing all of her clothes into her suitcase. Mattie perched on the very edge of the bed as Carmilla was packing, directing a look of distaste at the rumpled sheets.

“Really, Carmilla, what would you do without me?”

“I think I’d manage,” Carmilla said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “And stop being so judgy – I seem to remember plenty of nights in Boston where you dragged some poor sap back with you after we finished at the bars. I don’t seem to recall any of them being invited to dinner with mother either.”

Mattie shrugged. “A bit of recreation is good for everyone – sex is like pilates. But I never let it interfere with business, which I could hardly say for you. Trust me – I always make sure they know the cab fare on the bedside table isn’t waiting for morning.”

Carmilla laughed, chucking a pair of very expensive work shoes into her suitcase as Mattie winced. “I could have sworn you were flirting with that Fox-newscaster-looking dude at the bar last night.”

“I don’t flirt,” Mattie corrected her. “Men flirt with me. And he wasn’t worth my time anyway.”

“Good,” Carmilla huffed. “He reminded me too much of all those B-school bros we went to school with – I half expected him to try to explain basic economics to you and drop a reference to his family’s chalet in the Alps. God, those pricks were insufferable.”

“You just had to know how to handle them,” Mattie said dismissively. “They’re easy enough to control and quite useful if you have a little patience, unlike _someone_ , who always reacted to their failings by metaphorically ripping their throats out or literally assaulting them.” Carmilla just smirked, slipping into the bathroom to grab her toiletries. “You know, you really should have tried a little harder in business school, Carmilla dear. Maybe if you hadn’t slouched your way through your courses mother might have given you more responsibility on this project.”

“ _C’s get degrees_ ,” Carmilla trilled as she zipped up her bag, and Mattie rolled her eyes. “Not all of us could simultaneously bulldoze the competition and build a small empire while in school. Yours wasn’t exactly an easy shadow to be under, big sis. Besides, it didn’t matter how I performed – I always knew mother would have me right where she wanted me when I graduated.”

Mattie gave Carmilla an enormous, entirely feigned pout of sympathy. “Oh, I’m so sorry, please tell me more about how hard it is to be a wealthy, pretty, skinny white lesbian with an expensive business degree. Let me spearhead a Go Fund Me for your emotional trauma.”

Carmilla laughed and threw her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it. But mother’s still an utter asshole and every douche wearing Nantucket red is still a scourge on this earth.”

“No argument there,” Mattie said with a shrug, rising off the bed. “Are you finally packed? Shockingly you’re almost on time.”

Carmilla bent down to haul up her suitcase, giving her sister a mock salute. “Once more into the breach.”

***

If it weren’t for all the people, Carmilla wouldn’t mind flying that much. She rather enjoyed the forced leisure of arriving early and waiting for planes to take off. She’d finished more books in airports and airplanes than she could count, and it was one of the few times she lets herself read the newspaper cover-to-cover instead of just skimming the first few paragraphs of stories. Still, there were the people to consider, and those she did not find nearly as pleasant. 

Luckily, no one had been particularly irritating at the airport today, and Carmilla was able to board her plane on time. Mattie was staying another few days in Montreal to finish up a side project, and had returned to their client after seeing Carmilla into a cab.

Carmilla settled into her first-class window seat, already thinking about the whiskey-diet she would request. Her seatmate hadn’t arrived yet, and she gave a silent prayer that whoever it was wasn’t a talker.

Carmilla had just cracked open her copy of _The Prince_ (Matzka had been insisting she read it for years) when someone plopped down into the seat next to her. Carmilla glanced over at her seatmate in mild curiosity. The young woman was short, with light brown hair falling in waves to her shoulders. She had an open, friendly face, and couldn’t have been more than 20. She was cute, Carmilla noted, in a virginal, probably-obnoxiously-chipper kind of way. In her button-up and sweater-vest (with some kind of owl graphic on it?), the girl didn’t exactly look like first-class material, though Carmilla was aware that she didn’t either.

“Hi!” the woman said to Carmilla, giving her a tentative smile. Carmilla just grunted and returned to her book.

The period before take-off was uneventful – Carmilla received and quickly downed her Jack Daniels, and tried to ignore the restless movements of the woman next to her. Once the plane started moving, though, she became a little harder to ignore.

Carmilla looked up from her book to see the girl clutching her arm rests in a white-knuckled grip. Her eyes were shut tight, and her lips were pursed in a thin white line. Her whole body was a study in tension.

Carmilla _really_ didn’t want to deal with this, but she also really didn’t want this woman having an attack and/or vomiting on her.

“You okay there, cupcake?” Carmilla said, finding that the term of endearment was a little unavoidable in a situation like this. “Do you want me to get a flight attendant?”

“No. Nope, nope, nope,” the woman said, eyes still tightly shut. “It won’t help. I’m really sorry – I’m just really bad at flying on planes. Like, get panic attacks kind of bad? I mean, I won’t vomit or anything (probably) so you don’t need to worry about that. I’m mostly just bad during take-offs and landings, so I’m just gonna look like a big tense freak for the next little bit and I hope that’s okay because if it’s not I’m not really sure what to do because there’s not really a mid-flight alternative if you know what I mean. My name’s Laura Hollis by the way and I’m really sorry you have to deal with me trust me I wish you didn’t because you seem like the kind of person who doesn’t deal very well with people who disrupt their flights and books and lives and stuff. So sorry in advance and all of that.” 

Despite herself, Carmilla was finding the woman’s near-incoherent flailings kind of endearing, though she hadn’t missed how she hadn’t received a 100% guarantee of no vomiting.

“Don’t worry about it, cutie,” Carmilla said with a sigh, putting down her book and resigning herself to dealing with this. She figured she’d need to nip this in the bud now before it got worse, especially since they would be taking off in a few minutes. She needed to distract the girl – Laura. “So if you hate flying so much, why are you doing it?”

“Basically necessity,” Laura said, eyes still shut tight. “I don’t need to go into the details or anything, but there’s kind of an emergency and flying is pretty much the only way you can get from Montreal to Vancouver unless you want to travel for a week. This is an obnoxiously large country considering how much of it is tundra, you know?”

“Mm hm,” Carmilla said tolerantly. “You know, I’ve probably got an ambien somewhere in my carry-on if you want it.”

Laura cracked open one eye to squint at Carmilla, a small frown crinkling her forehead. “Thanks, but I’m good – I’m pretty sure that would just make things worse.” Carmilla shrugged, half-tempted herself to swallow the pill. They began to pick up speed in preparation for take-off and Laura quickly shut her eye again, her breath hitching.

“So,”Carmilla said quickly, picking up the thread, “You can’t tell me about this emergency, but tell me about yourself. Do you live in Montreal?”

“No,” Laura said. “Well, yes, I guess. I go to university here, but I’m from Vancouver.”

“What’s your major?” Carmilla asked, finding it a boring but expected question.

“Journalism.”

“Yeesh,” Carmilla said without even thinking, then smirked when she saw Laura’s face scrunch up in anger.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing – it’s just, journalism’s a bit of a dying field, isn’t it? Print media is in its final death throes from what I can tell.”

“God, you sound like my friends from uni,” Laura said, her frown deepening. Carmilla was pleased, though, that she didn’t seem to realize the plane lifted off a few seconds earlier. “Sure, we’re seeing a shift to digital media. And there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s faster, and informal networks are more accessible to the masses, not to mention more egalitarian in their authorship. But there’s still a role for in-depth reporting that will never go away – it’s just a little more competitive now.”

“And you plan on being at the top of the competition?”

“What would be the point if I didn’t?” Laura said, a note of hardness in her tone. Carmilla got the impression she encountered fairly frequent opposition to her career choice.

Carmilla laughed. “Calm down, creampuff. I’m not the Spanish Inquisition – just pushing your buttons a little. Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”

“I have,” Laura said firmly, but her expression softened. “So what do you do?”

“Oh, shady corporate evil,” Carmilla said, waving a hand dismissively. Laura opened her eyes at that, frowning at Carmilla. Then her eyes widened when she noticed that they were airborne and ascending, and she quickly shut them again. Carmilla pulled down the window shade. 

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Laura insisted.

“Am I?” Carmilla asked in amusement, before continuing, “In a nutshell, I work for a group that invests in failing companies and then influences them to…redistribute their functions for a profit.”

“So you’re basically Richard Gere in Pretty Woman?” Laura asked, grinning.

Carmilla winced. “If I had seen that movie – which I haven’t, mind you – I would argue that we’re less corporate raider and more activist shareholders. Plus I have a much better fashion sense and 400% less skeeze.” Carmilla shrugged, though she knew Laura couldn’t see her. “It’s a family business. Isn’t the one I would have chosen.”

“Yeah?” Laura asked curiously. “What would you have chosen?”

Carmilla shook her head. “We’re not going there – I already shared too much in the interest of you not vomiting all over my Fryes. It looks like we’ve leveled out, by the way – think you can manage?”

Laura opened her eyes fully this time, letting out a long breath before smiling at Carmilla. The expression lit up her face, and Carmilla had to fight from matching it. Carmilla just managed to maintain her slightly disinterested look.

“Thanks,” Laura said sincerely. “I know you were just trying to keep me from making a scene, but that really helped.”

Carmilla shrugged. “No problem, cutie.”

“And I didn’t even get your name.”

“It’s Carmilla,” Carmilla said with a barely-perceptible smile. 

“Nice to meet you, Carmilla,” Laura said brightly. “Okay, I feel like I took up enough of your time. I’m just gonna put my headphones in now.”

Carmilla nodded and pulled out her book again. She chanced a quick glance in Laura’s direction, who had put in her earbuds and was flipping through her music collection. Carmilla noticed a little Hufflepuff patch sewn to Laura’s backpack, and a Journalists Do It Better pin. What a dork. Carmilla had to admit that she was pretty cute, in a puppy-in-a-thunderstorm kind of way. Carmilla shook her head at her thoughts – the girl was hardly her type, and since they only had five more hours of their flight, it wouldn’t be long before they’d part ways forever.

***

Everything seemed to be going well until about four hours into their flight. Carmilla had spent most of that time reading, and had already finished The Prince and moved on to some lighter existentialism. At some point, Laura had dozed off. Carmilla watched out of the corner of her eye as Laura’s slumped form slowly listed left until she was leaning gently against Carmilla’s right shoulder. Normally, this was the kind of thing that Carmilla would have no patience for. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like making Laura wake up and stop invading Carmilla’s personal space. Carmilla tried to tell herself it was because she didn’t want to risk waking Laura and instigating another panic attack, but a small voice in the back of her head insisted that she didn’t really mind the warm weight pressing against her.

The peace was broken somewhat dramatically when the entire of the body of the plane shook. Laura immediately woke up, her eyes glazed in confusion before her expression took on a note of terror as she realized where she was.

“Hey,” Carmilla said, instinctively reaching over to squeeze Laura’s hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Her words of reassurance were somewhat marred by another jarring shake to the plane, followed by the sudden flickering of the lights.

“Oh god,” Laura moaned, her eyes shot through with panic. She bent over to rest her head between her knees and without thinking, Carmilla found herself rubbing small circles on Laura’s back and murmuring meaningless words of reassurance. She heard the intercom pick up and the sound of the Captain’s voice:

“I apologize for the slight disturbance.” There was collective scoffing from the passengers at the euphemism, half irritation and half fear. “We’re having a bit of trouble with our left engine. It’s nothing to worry about – the Boeing 777 has two backup engines and we have no concerns whatsoever about the safety of the flight. However, we do need to follow protocol and will need to land earlier than expected. We’re just coming up to the Regina Airport, so we’ll be landing there temporarily while we get the engine checked out. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Carmilla snorted and would have said something snide if she couldn’t feel Laura literally trembling underneath her hand.

“Hey, hey,” Carmilla said softly, moving her hand from Laura’s back so she could gently brush the hair away from her face. She could see that Laura’s eyes were squeezed tight again. “It’s going to be fine. He’s not lying about the multiple engine thing, you know – there are approximately a thousand backups to keep anything from happening to modern airplanes. Us landing is just a way of them covering their asses so no one sues for not following protocol.”

Laura nodded. “I know,” she said, her voice muffled from its position between her legs. “But my brain isn’t really processing logic right now, you know? He says, ‘Slight disturbance,’ and my brain hears, ‘We’re in a thin metal contraption thousands of meters in the air about to plummet to our deaths.’ Why? Why in the world do we trust engineers? I mean, the hubris of it all – has no one read about Icarus? We’re literally flying closer to the sun, just casually flipping through our ipads like it’s not a big freaking deal that we’re taunting the gods to strike us down for our arrogance. How do planes even work, really? Does anyone _really_ understand how planes work, or have we just been entrusting our lives to some kind of magical pseudoscience this whole time?”

Carmilla couldn’t help laughing, and Laura paused to glare up at her, which just made her laugh harder. “I’m sorry, cupcake – you’re just so cute when you’re babbling incoherently.” Carmilla saw Laura’s cheeks turn pink just before she buried her face again.

“Well I’m glad my mind-numbing phobia is so amusing to you,” Laura snarked. Carmilla grinned, but also went back to rubbing Laura’s back. 

“I said I was sorry. How about this – let’s play a game. I get to ask you any five questions I want, and then you get to ask me any five that you want.”

“How is that a game?” Laura asked, frowning.

“Jesus, it’s a loose interpretation of a game designed to distract you from your crippling fears, okay?” Carmilla said in exasperation. “Can you just roll with me here?”

Laura laughed – a small one, but a laugh nonetheless. “Okay. I can do that,” she said quietly. “What’s your first question?”

“Let’s start out simple – tell me about your family.”

“That’s not a question,” Laura pointed out.

“Fine, Alex Trebek,” Carmilla said, rolling her eyes. “What is your family like?”

Laura lifted her head up a little so she could look at Carmilla while she was talking. “I’m an only child,” she started matter-of-factly. “My mom died when I was six. My dad lives in Vancouver. He used to be in the navy but he retired when I was little – now he teaches economics at a junior college. He’s really overprotective – I was always afraid to bring anyone over to meet him when I was in high school.” Laura laughed, her face softening. Carmilla had an image of tiny, high school Laura Hollis ineptly trying to sneak significant others past a stern and far-too-prepared father. “He’s tough, but he’s a good dad,” Laura finished quietly. There was something sad in her voice, which was definitely not what Carmilla was aiming for. So she launched into her next question:

“Okay, #2: Who are your friends at university?”

Laura’s face brightened at that question. “Well, my two best friends are LaFontaine and Perry, who are also kind-of-sort-of dating. LaFontaine is a bio major and Perry is in the German department. They’re both majorly smart, and weird, but in a good way.” Laura laughed, clearly remembering something. “Before I left, LaFontaine was in the middle of a week-long side project to analyze the ingredients of Perry’s brownies – Perry’s always making brownies – to determine the definitive, perfect brownie recipe.”

“Wow,” Carmilla said dryly. “You guys are really living the college dream.” Laura glared at her, again, and Carmilla was finding that she rather liked getting that reaction out of her.

“Okay, let’s make this more interesting,” Carmilla continued, her voice taking on a sly quality. “Where’s the strangest place you’ve had sex?”

To Carmilla’s delight, Laura’s face went full-on red. “That’s not a very appropriate question.”

“Who said anything about appropriate, cupcake?” Carmilla asked, smirking. “My game, my rules. Answer the question.”

Laura frowned, but she didn’t protest further. “Well…” she said slowly, biting her lip and looking at Carmilla like she wasn’t sure whether or not she would keep talking. Carmilla was having a hard time not focusing on Laura’s bottom lip, so she cocked an eyebrow to urge Laura on. Laura sighed in exasperation. “Okay, so I haven’t exactly had sex in a lot of places – mostly just my dorm room, if you must know. I didn’t really…I wasn’t exactly an early bloomer in high school. But,” she said hurriedly, as if trying to pre-empt a sarcastic comment from Carmilla, “I did have sex in a faculty lounge one night this semester.”

“That sounds a little depressing,” Carmilla pointed out, seeing an image of stale donuts coffee.

Laura shook her head. “We have a really old, historic buildings with swanky lounges – velvet couches and all of that. It was actually pretty lush.” Her eyes went a little distant, and there was a slight smile on her lips from the memory. Carmilla realized she didn’t really like Laura spending so much time reminiscing about having sex with other people.

“So, question four,” Carmilla prodded, and Laura’s attention snapped back to her. “Are you seeing anyone currently?” Carmilla gave a little smirk, trying to convey the right level of indifference and suggestiveness.

Laura looked at Carmilla’s face as if trying to read her, and bit her lip again. Then she shook her head. “No. I mean, I kind of had this thing with a TA of mine, but I’m pretty sure that’s over. She could be a little…possessive. I mean, she’s great,” Laura continued hurriedly, as if Carmilla needed assurance. “I just think we’re better as friends.” Carmilla found herself torn between relief that Laura had said “her” and an utterly irrational desire to find this TA and just sneer at her.

“Good to know you’re on the market,” Carmilla said with a wink. Rather than blushing, Laura rolled her eyes, and Carmilla grinned in response. “Okay, last question. Why are you heading back home to Vancouver?”

With that question, the smile on Laura’s face dissolved. Her face seemed to constrict on itself, her brown eyes becoming guarded. Carmilla instantly regretted the question, and had to hold herself back from reaching out to touch Laura reassuringly. Laura looked down at her hands in her lap and drew a deep breath, before looking back up at Carmilla, her gaze more steady now. She opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, though, they both felt the bump of the airplane landing on the tarmac.

Laura blinked, seeming to realize what that meant. “Oh,” she said in surprise. “We made it.”

“I told you we would,” Carmilla pointed out wryly. “Safe and sound in…Regina.” Carmilla made a stink-face, as all the distraction of calming Laura had kept her from fully registering their situation. “God, why did it have to be Regina? There’s no way we’re getting out of here in anything resembling a timely fashion.

Laura, too, seemed to be realizing that their non-death meant a much longer delay before they were on their way back to Vancouver. Her face fell, though she immediately replaced it with a smile when she turned to Carmilla. “Look, grumpy-pants, I can already tell you’re going to be weird about it, but thank you for helping me – I really don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Probably hyperventilated until you passed out, and then you wouldn’t have bothered anyone,” Carmilla said indifferently. Laura punched Carmilla lightly on the shoulder at that.

“I knew you’d be weird,” she said, and Carmilla gave a little half shrug and a sideways smile.

They didn’t say much as preparations were made to deboard the plane. The passengers filed out, all grumbling to some degree. As they all pooled around the gate, the flight attendants let them know that mechanics would soon be looking at the engine, and that they could sign up for text alerts to find out when the plane was ready. After signing up, Carmilla stepped to the side to check her phone. She gave a grunt of irritation when she saw she already had four messages, two from her mother, one from Mattie, and one from a client. Glancing up, she couldn’t see Laura anywhere. With a sigh of resignation, Carmilla went to find somewhere where she could be on the receiving end of her mother’s inevitable freak-out.

***

Twenty minutes and three phone calls later, Carmilla finally sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She’d managed to placate her mother for once, mainly because the delay (and missed meeting) was demonstrably not her fault this time. Her second call had been to the client she was scheduled to meet with that evening, letting her know they would have to reschedule for first thing next week. Her last call had been to Mattie, mostly just to vent about their mother and gain some sympathy for the fact that she was stuck in Re-fucking-gina, murder capitol of Canada.

Since the Regina airport was microscopic, Carmilla made her way resignedly back to the lone Tim Hortons, in desperate need of caffeine. When she got there, she spotted a familiar figure at one of the tables, hunched despondently over a cup of something. Not even trying to fight back a smile, Carmilla slid into the seat next to Laura.

“Hey cutie,” Carmilla said, and Laura looked up at her, slightly startled. Then her face lit up with a smile.

“Hi,” she said, a little shyly. 

“Hi,” Carmilla repleated, before nodding towards the cup. “Watcha drinking?”

“Oh. Um, hot cocoa?” Laura said, blinking down at her cup. Despite Laura’s initial smile (and really, Carmilla thought, it was a little unfair to have a smile _that_ effective), she looked distracted, and a little sad. Carmilla noticed the phone sitting next to her cup of cocoa, and guessed that whoever had been on the other end of the phone was why Laura was so unhappy about their plane being delayed. Assessing the situation, Carmilla made a decision.

“Figures,” Carmilla said, eliciting the intended response of an indignant frown from Laura.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Carmilla said with a shrug. “I just thought that maybe after such a trying journey you might be interested in something a little more…alcoholic.”

“How?” Laura asked, her brow furrowing. “There’s not even a bar in this airport.”

“ _Necessity is the mother of invention_ ,” Carmilla quoted. She stood up from her chair and held out her hand to Laura. “Finish your cocoa, creampuff. They said we’ve got at least two hours before they fix the engine, if they even do. We’ve got time to kill and I know just how to kill it.”

Laura eyed Carmilla’s hand, and for a minute Carmilla was afraid she would say no. But then Laura slung back the rest of her hot chocolate and slammed the cup down on the table. Then she reached out and grabbed Carmilla’s hand, her palm warm against Carmilla’s.

“Okay,” Laura said quietly, before grinning up at Carmilla, her face full of promise. “Where to?”


	2. Chapter 2

Laura woke up that morning with a needling belly full of butterflies, and the sensation only got worse as she got closer to the airport. By the time she had made it to security, she was so jittery she thought she’d set off the metal detectors. The cup of hot chocolate she sucked down didn’t even help; in fact, it seemed to make her more on edge.

The last time she had flown was at the beginning of the school year, and that had been the first time in years. She’d been fine flying as a child, but at some point during high school a crippling fear of flight had snuck into her psyche and lodged there. Her dad had flown with her to Montreal the first time, and his presence next to her had been the only thing keeping her completely flipping out. Luckily, she and her dad didn’t need to travel by plane often. Most of her extended family was in Vancouver, and the rest of her relatives lived in the States along the west coast, where visiting entailed only an scenic train ride. And it’s not like she couldn’t handle flying – it was just extremely unpleasant, and kind of embarrassing. 

Laura spent the entire time she was waiting to board praying that she wouldn’t be sitting next to an asshole or nervous child. Instead, she got something even worse: an unfairly attractive Carmilla Karnstein.

Laura had taken a deep breath when she saw Carmilla sitting in the seat next to her, strongly resisting the urge to turn and walk off the plane.

“Hi,” Laura said nervously to Carmilla as she sat down, receiving only a grunt in return. 

_Why?_ She asked, casting her eyes upward at whatever omnipotent being liked to make a mockery of her life. _Why her? Did you really have to seat me next some chick with cheekbones that can cut through wheat fields and the most attractive kind of bad attitude? Do you want me to blow chunks onto this hot girl’s shoes? Did she do something to piss you off too? Is this two-for-one petty revenge for Jesus day?_ Laura took a deep breath and told herself to pull it together. Maybe she would be fine. Maybe the girl wouldn’t even notice.

Her delusions were shattered the moment the plane began moving and she felt her heart begin drumming painfully against her chest. Against all odds, though, her seatmate didn’t just switch seats once it became apparent Laura was freaking out. Laura could hear herself babbling nervously, and she knew how crazy she looked. But Carmilla just talked to her, although she _was_ kind of a dick about it. It didn’t take Laura long to realize that Carmilla was baiting her as a way to distract her, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t working – Laura had always had a hard time not taking the bait. 

And then Carmilla actually rubbed her back, and brushed the hair out of her face—like they were friends. These moments of contact might have sent more of a tingle through Laura if she wasn’t focusing so much on keeping it together. But it helped – it helped a lot. And when they landed in one piece, with Laura hardly even noticing the descent, she could have grabbed Carmilla and kissed her. Not that she thought that was really an option after having her hand figuratively and literally held throughout the flight.

Laura lost sight of Carmilla amidst the chaos of deboarding and checking in with the airline. She might have tried harder to find her, but she was only just feeling the full realization that they might be delayed for a long time. After giving the airline her phone number so they could text, Laura set out towards the Tim Hortons, feeling the need for some hot chocolate to bolster her spirits.

Once she was settled, Laura took a deep breath and called her dad.

“Laura?” he answered, his voice confused. “I thought your flight wasn’t getting in until 8?”

“Yeah, about that…” Laura started, trying to sound light-hearted. “So we were about an hour away when one of our engines failed, and we had to land early. I’m currently in the Regina airport.”

“You’re in Regina?” her dad asked incredulously. 

“Yep. They said it’s going to be at least two hours, but I’m honestly a little afraid I might have to be here overnight – there aren’t any more planes leaving for Vancouver today, so we’re kind of screwed if they don’t fix the plane.”

“Wait,” her dad said, finally seeming to absorb everything she’d said. “You had an engine malfunction mid-flight? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Laura reassured him. “I mean, it wasn’t exactly soothing, but I had a really nice-” (she winced, because _nice_ was just about the last word she would use to describe Carmilla) “-seatmate who kind of helped calm me down.”

“Well that’s good,” her dad said, relief clear in his voice. “I’m glad you’re okay – that’s the most important thing.”

“I know,” Laura said quietly. “I’m just – I just really wish I could be there now.”

“I know you do, sweetie,” her dad said sympathetically. “But it’s not the end of the world – I’m not going anywhere, you know.”

Laura felt her voice was on the verge of trembling, so she took a deep breath and managed to shove the sensation down. “I know that, dad,” she said, trying to make her tone upbeat. “I just really wish I could be there. And also wish I wasn’t in Regina.”

Her dad laughed. “I can understand that. Well, keep me posted on what happens with the delay. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Laura said. She hung up the phone and set it down beside her cup of hot chocolate. Her thoughts were far away, in her childhood home, sitting with her dad at the dinner table. She probably would have worked herself into a total funk if Carmilla hadn’t slipped into the seat next to her.

On a regular day, Laura’s brain was a Rube Goldberg machine –overactive, never staying still, taking the most circuitous route to decisions. When Carmilla offered her hand, about 50 different thoughts tumbled over each other in their effort to dominate – _Who is this girl? Why is she so interested in me? How does she get her hair to look so good? Why is she being so nice (and, also, kind of mean) to me?_ But the two thoughts dominating all of them were, _God she looks good_ , and, _I could really use the distraction_.

So Laura accepted Carmilla’s hand and whatever promise it offered, especially if that promise ended in a stiff drink.

***

Laura wasn’t sure where she expected Carmilla to take her, but she shouldn’t have been surprised when they ended up at the duty-free store. Carmilla turned to her, flashing that smirk Laura was already becoming familiar with.

“Duty-free booze – we can make our own bar.”

Laura couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. “Classy.”

Carmilla shrugged. “ _Classy_ has never been a top priority for me, to be honest. C’mon,” she said, jerking her head towards the liquor section. Like all shops in the Regina airport, it was small. One half of the shop was taken up by the usual electronics and airplane pillows, while the other half had all the duty free items. Despite the size, there were still several shelves of liquor along one wall.

“What’s your poison?” Carmilla asked as they stood side-by-side eyeing the selection.

“I’m a college student,” Laura pointed out. “I pretty much only drink Molson and the liquor equivalent of lighter fluid these days, so I don’t exactly have high standards.”

Carmilla made a face. “God, that’s tragic, poptart. You’re never too young to start enjoying the finer things in life.” She squinted at the shelves, considering their options. Then she picked up a bottle of Bulleit. “It’s decent,” Carmilla said with a shrug. “I feel like I shouldn’t spring for the really nice stuff until we’ve developed your palate a little more.”

Laura felt like she should be insulted, but she also hadn’t missed how there had been a bit of promise in that “we.” So she just rolled her eyes and said, “Stop showing off – not all of us can afford fancy cocktails with our evil corporate accounts.”

“Fair enough,” Carmilla said with a grin. Then she turned and surveyed the store. She went up and down a few aisles with Laura following, picking up some mixed nuts, crackers, and two tumblers that said “I heart Regina.” As Carmilla was making her way to the register, Laura slipped down one aisle and grabbed some gummy bears and a bag of cookies. Carmilla raised her eyebrow when Laura added these to the pile, and Laura shrugged in mild embarrassment.

“I’ve got kind of a bad sweet tooth.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Carmilla asked, before dumping their stash on the register. As the woman was ringing them up, a middle-aged man got in line behind them. 

Laura found herself eyeing Carmilla, once again trying to figure her out. She could be so damn smug – a little concentrated ball of detached snark – but then she had these moments of kindness that managed to sneak out. Laura was beginning to wonder if Carmilla was all bark and no bite. She didn’t know Carmilla well enough yet to work out her contradictions, but she couldn’t help but find them intriguing.

Laura’s musings were interrupted when the man behind them gave a little laugh. “Having a party, eh ladies?” he said, smirking at them and the bottle of bourbon. He gave them both a very poorly contained leer and added, “You just let me know if you girls want some company. Oh, don’t give me that look, sweetheart,” he said when Laura frowned at him. Laura was about to say something biting when Carmilla slipped in between the two of them. Carmilla wasn’t a large person, but something about the way she was holding herself made it seem like she was taking up the whole room. Her face was still and cold, but there was an anger behind her eyes that was almost palpable.

“I will literally rip out your ballsack and feed it to you if you so much as _look_ at either one of us again,” she said, her tone somehow calm and furious at the same time. Then Carmilla turned back to the register, smiled at the cashier as if nothing had happened, and handed over her credit card. Laura watched out of the corner of her eye as the man stood there, momentarily stunned. Then he took a couple of steps backward and fled to the back of the store where he pretended to continue shopping.

Laura turned back to Carmilla, who had by now hefted their bag of goods.

“Let’s go, buttercup,” Carmilla said casually, heading towards the exit.

Laura shook her head before following, a faint smile working its way to her face. No, there was definitely bite too.

***

They grabbed a couple cups of ice from the restaurant next door before they began wandering through the terminal.

“What are we looking for?” Laura asked, noticing the way Carmilla had been scanning their surroundings as they walked.

“That,” Carmilla said, jerking her chin towards the far side of the terminal where one of the walls met the glass siding looking out onto the tarmac. A square pillar was set a few meters away, effectively blocking view of the corner. The two of them made their way to the area, slipping behind the pillar and sitting down on the ground. 

“Cozy,” Laura remarked as they settled with their backs to the pillar, facing the glass wall and the small collection of airplanes resting on the tarmac.

“Private,” Carmilla corrected, reaching into their bag to hand Laura one of the “I heart Regina” tumblers. Without speaking, Carmilla shook some ice into both of their cups, then cracked open the whiskey and poured them both a generous few fingers of liquor.

“Cheers, cupcake,” Carmilla said, lifting her glass and flashing a crooked smile. Laura met her eyes, dark and hard to read. 

“Cheers,” Laura repeated, clinking their glasses together, unable to pull back on a broad grin. She was rewarded when Carmilla’s small smile widened (almost as if against her will), before Carmilla took a long drink from her cup. Laura’s sip was more cautious. She wasn’t an expert on liquor by any means, but even she knew there was a difference between this and the rotgut she was used to at school. 

They sat together in companionable silence for a few moments, looking out onto the field of planes. The sun was beginning to set, and tendrils of blue and burnished red were snaking their way through the clouds, casting a muted glow down on the ground crew as they loaded and directed planes. Laura could feel the pleasant heat of the liquor pooling in her stomach, and she felt an unexpected sense of contentment. Carmilla rattled the ice in her glass, lifting it to her lips to take another sip. Laura felt a strong pull to just _look_ at Carmilla for a while, but also knew that was probably a bad idea. To stave off anything inappropriate, she took another sip of her drink and asked,

“So, do I ever get to ask you those five questions?”

Carmilla looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t finish answering yours.”

“Yeah, but I answered most of them,” Laura protested. “If you answer four, I’ll answer my fifth.”

“You keep trying to make deals I have no obligation to fulfill,” Carmilla pointed out, but her tone was amused. She shrugged. “Alright, creampuff. Shoot.”

“Okay,” Laura started. “Not to be totally unoriginal, but what’s _your_ family like?”

Carmilla let out a long breath. “That’s a whole can of worms, cutie – you don’t even know. But I guess we had a deal, so.” Carmilla rolled her shoulders, as if getting preparing herself. “Well, I was adopted when I was eight by mother and father. I inherited a sibling when I joined the Karnstein’s – my sister Matzka, also adopted. Matzka’s quite a bit older than I am. She was such a success that my parents decided to do round two when they eventually got bored. Not sure I was quite what they expected, though.” Carmilla let out a laugh that Laura thought was intended to be indifferent, but her mouth pulled down in a way Laura couldn’t help but interpret as sad. Carmilla shook her head as shaking off the feeling. “But you asked what they’re like, not whether or not they exist. So the CliffsNotes version: Mother is what people call a dynamo. Spent her life clawing her way up a male-dominated field, leaving plenty of bodies in her wake. Now she’s perched at the peak of her industry, surveying her empire. It’s all quite inspiring and admirable, for those who can be objective.” Carmilla left it unsaid whether she was one of the objective few. “Father spent 35 years married to her, so you can imagine how much of his personality had been washed away through decades of slow erosion. Thank god for Matzka. She’s got all the ambition of our mother but with a substantially better sense of fun. Once I got old enough, she let me tag along on her various work missions, and I’ve more-or-less stumbled my way along her footsteps ever since.”

Carmilla paused and took in a deep breath, then frowned down into her glass. “Christ, what’s in this stuff? I’m not normally this chatty.”

“Yeah, I gathered as much,” Laura said, before reaching out and just letting her hand touch Carmilla’s to get her attention. “But I want to hear about it. I’m a good listener, and you may or may not have noticed that I could use some distraction right now.”

Carmilla looked back at her, her expression almost serious. “You’ll need to tell me about that at some point.”

“Will I?” Laura asked rhetorically, throwing Carmilla’s earlier taunt in her face before shaking her head and laughing. “Okay, that’s one down. Question two: where’s the strangest place _you’ve_ ever had sex?”

“Oh, so you’re just going to copy me?” Carmilla asked mockingly. “I thought you were supposed to be a journalist – shouldn’t you have more original questions?”

“Stop stalling by insulting me,” Laura said firmly. “Answer the question.”

Carmilla raised her hands up in surrender, and then her expression became almost sly. “You asked for it. The strangest places I’ve ever had sex was probably on a ferris wheel.”

“What?” Laura asked, nearly choking on her drink with her laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said, seeing Carmilla’s mock-offended expression. “I’m just having a hard time imagining you on a ferris wheel, much less having sex on one.”

Carmilla shrugged. “I’m willing to step out of my comfort zone if it’s for the greater good.”

“Uh huh,” Laura said skeptically. “Whose greater good are we talking about?”

“Well definitely hers,” Carmilla said, smirking. “I’m an opportunist – the ferris wheel had a malfunction and we were floating above the Toronto skyline with some time to kill. She started kissing my neck, my hand started sliding up her thigh, and the next thing you know – “

“I get it,” Laura interrupted, her whole face on fire. Carmilla laughed.

“God, cupcake, you’re so damn easy to get riled up – you make it impossible to resist.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t seem to be trying very hard,” Laura grumbled, reaching over to the gummy bears and violently shoving a few in her mouth. The combination of sugar and liquor wasn’t exactly unpleasant, though she doubted she’d get many points for class.

“Okay,” she said once her face cooled down. She grudgingly offered Carmilla the gummy bears and Carmilla popped a few in her mouth, eyes still sparkling with amusement. “So you’re a Lothario, I get it. But question three – have you ever been in love?”

Carmilla managed to maintain her slight smile, but there was something false in it now – some sudden reminder of pain that pinched her face almost imperceptibly.

“I’m sorry,” Laura said hurriedly, feeling instant remorse. “Was that too personal?”

“Was asking me if I’ve ever been in love too personal, when asking about my sexual escapades clearly wasn’t?” Carmilla responded, some of her humor returning. Laura wasn’t sure how to react so she stayed quiet. Carmilla shrugged. “I guess it’s personal, but what the hell. Yes, I’ve been in love, once. Her name was Elle, and her father was business partners with my mother. We were young – well, we were your age,” Carmilla corrected, smirking when Laura rolled her eyes. “We were both the disaffected children of distant parents, so we bonded over that – drank our parents’ liquor, pretended that one day we’d rebel against our parents’ plans for us, etc etc. We spent a lot of time hiding out in my parents’ attic during dinner parties.” Carmilla’s eyes had gone a bit distant with the memory. Laura held her breath, not wanting to break the spell. Carmilla’s expression shifted as she came back to the present, her expression suddenly hard. “But then my mother used her clout with the board to orchestrate a hostile takeover of the company, effectively making Elle’s father a partner in name only. It solidified mother’s position with the company and helped launch her current illustrious career. But Elle wasn’t especially interested in dating the daughter of the woman who fucked her father over so royally.” Carmilla’s words were almost matter-of-fact – the product of many years coming to terms with old wounds – but Laura could still see the remnants of past pain in the tension of her face.

“I’m sorry,” Laura said quietly, reaching out to squeeze Carmilla’s hand. Carmilla looked down at their hands for a moment as if not sure what to do. With the way the soft sunset light cast shadows on her face, Laura in that moment found her almost too lovely to look at. Then Carmilla looked up at Laura and gave a small, but real, smile. “Thanks, cupcake,” she said, her voice husky.

Impulsively, Laura leaned over and pressed a light kiss against Carmilla’s cheek. “You’re welcome,” she murmured into Carmilla’s ear. She pulled away, but only a few inches. They sat there, noses almost touching, studying each others’ faces. Then, slowly, Carmilla leaned in and placed a kiss on Laura’s lips. 

The kiss was slow and tentative at first. But then Carmilla lifted a hand to cup Laura’s cheek and pull her towards her, deepening the kiss. They kissed without hurry, eager but neither wanting to overstep the line. Laura’s heart was hammering against her chest, and her fingers itched to snake around Carmilla’s waist. Unsurprisingly, Carmilla tasted like whiskey. Laura thought she probably tasted like gummy bears, and the thought made her smile against Carmilla’s lips. Carmilla broke away, her expression inquiring. “What?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Laura said, unable to contain the wide smile breaking out on her face. “It’s just…this is the best layover I’ve ever had.”

Carmilla laughed, the sound as genuine as anything Laura had heard that day. “I aim to please,” she said, before leaning in to kiss Laura again. This time, there was no caution to the kiss. Laura felt a thrill of satisfaction when she slipped her tongue into Carmilla’s mouth and was rewarded by Carmilla’s sharp intake of breath, and the way her hand slid almost unconsciously onto Laura’s thigh.

Who knows how far things would have gone if their phones hadn’t suddenly begun buzzing simultaneously. They broke apart and both began scrambling to determine where they’d last buried their phones. Laura got to hers first.

“It’s the airline,” she said, looking up at Carmilla. “They’re requesting we meet back at the terminal.”

***

They made their way back to the terminal slowly, shoulders occasionally bumping into each other as they walked. They were a little tipsy (or at least Laura was), and Carmilla spent her time making snide comments about the people they passed by in a way that was both mean and designed to make Laura giggle.

When they got to the correct terminal, a large crowd was already milling around the main kiosk. Apparently they had arrived just in time, as the airline official had just picked up the microphone to talk.

“Hello everyone, and thank you for your patience. Our ground mechanics have been working to fix the engine, but unfortunately are unable to do so without additional parts that are unavailable at this airport. Because the next flight to Vancouver does not leave until tomorrow morning, we will need you all to stay overnight here in Regina while we make arrangements for your departure tomorrow.” There was a collective upswelling of angry sounds of protests. Speaking above the hubbub, the airline official continued. “We apologize for the inconvenience, but the airline will pay for your accommodations tonight. Please see us if you would like to obtain a voucher for a hotel.”

Laura barely registered as a wave of grumbling passengers made their way to the kiosk. Overnight, stuck here. All her excitement of this strange day – of being with Carmilla, of breaking rules, of being impulsive – ebbed as she thought about spending another night without seeing her dad. Laura turned away from the crowd and moved towards the empty row of chairs, sinking down into a seat and staring sightlessly out onto the tarmac.

“Hey,” said a voice, low with concern. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carmilla sit in the chair next to her. Tentatively, as if waiting for her to object, Carmilla snaked an arm over Laura’s shoulder. “What’s going on?” she asked softly.

Laura let out a puff of breath and leaned over until her head was resting against Carmilla’s chest and shoulder. Instinctively, Carmilla tightened her arm around Laura’s shoulder, pulling her closer. In that moment, Laura didn’t care that she barely knew Carmilla, or that this was more intimacy than a plane ride and some tipsy storytelling deserved. She needed it, and Carmilla didn’t seem to object.

“It’s my dad,” Laura said quietly. “He got diagnosed with prostate cancer this week. That’s why I’m visiting – he’s going back in to the doctor on Monday to find out how far it’s spread.”

“Shit,” Carmilla said softly, giving Laura’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m sorry – I can’t even imagine how hard that is.”

“The truth is, he could be fine,” Laura said. “Maybe they caught it early enough. He’s not that old – there are a lot more options and way better outcomes when you’re younger. But it’s hard for me to be super rationale about it all. My mom died of cancer. Different kind of cancer, but still. It’s really….it’s really freaking unlucky, you know? It’s just…it’s not fair.”

“I know,” Carmilla said quietly, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Laura’s head. 

Laura sighed. “And I know he’s not going anywhere any time soon. His appointment isn’t even happening until Monday. I just feel like every day I’m away I’m wasting time. Honestly, I’m surprised he even told me before his second diagnosis – sometimes he’s so protective he won’t share those kinds of things. He didn’t want me to come visit, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen.”

“Yeah, I get the impression there’s not much that stops you when you set your mind to it,” Carmilla said, the teasing gentle.

“I’m determined,” Laura said grumpily. “Nothing wrong with that.” She was silent for a moment, just letting herself feel comfortable with Carmilla’s arm around her. Then, quietly, she asked, “Hey, why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.”

“I don’t know, creampuff,” Carmilla said, and Laura could feel her shrug against her body. “You just have that effect on me, apparently. What can I say – I’m a sucker for an aerophobe.”

“You should probably say aviophobe instead,” Laura corrected. “Aerophobe can also mean you’re afraid of drafts and fresh air. I’m not that bad.”

“Noted, nerd,” Carmilla said with amusement. Her thumb had begun rubbing gently against Laura’s shoulder in a soothing rhythm, and Laura took a moment to enjoy the feeling. Then she sighed and sat up. Carmilla let her arm fall from Laura’s shoulder and gave her a quizzical look.

“Well, enough moping,” Laura said, lifting her chin determinedly. “There’s nothing I can do about it but wait, so I guess I should go ahead and get a hotel voucher.”

“The hell you will,” Carmilla scoffed, a look of distaste on her face. “You really want to spend a night in whatever cut-rate hotel they set you up in? Do you have any idea what those rooms look like under a black light? No, you should stay with me. You can bet your ass I’m billing the nicest hotel room I can find to the company credit card.”

“I couldn’t do that,” Laura said, shaking her head in protest.

“Look,” Carmilla responded, her tone only faintly exasperated. “I promise this isn’t some weird attempt at seduction. I mean, obviously I’m attracted to you.” Carmilla smirked when Laura’s face turned pink, but kept talking. “But I mostly think we could both use the company. If I go off by myself I’ll just end up watching an SVU marathon, and I don’t even want to think about the combination of brooding and nerdy shit you’ll do with your spare time. I’ll even get a hotel with two separate bedrooms – I’m a gentlewoman, after all.”

“I’ll bet you are,” Laura muttered. She pursed her lips, studying Carmilla’s face. God, she had a good face. She was also this unexpected pinpoint of fun and the unknown, which Laura hadn’t even realized she needed. And she wasn’t wrong about the brooding Laura would do if left on her own. What did she have to lose?

Carmilla was still waiting for her answer, clearly trying to contain her impatience. Laura made up her mind, and couldn’t keep from grinning. She leaned over and kissed Carmilla on the cheek.

“Okay,” she said, pleased when Carmilla’s eyes lit up at her answer. “But we’ll need to get more gummy bears.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to write this last part - life got in the way, and then I got distracted. But hopefully the extra pages and extra schmoop will make up for that.

“Hooooly smokes,” Laura said the moment they walked into the hotel room, her eyes wide as a cartoon character’s as she dropped her bag on the ground. Carmilla couldn’t help smiling at the reaction, allowing herself to see the room the way Laura would. It wasn’t the penthouse, but it was close – two bedrooms, a spacious living space, a small kitchen, an obscenely large tv. Frankly, Carmilla had been surprised they’d found a hotel with that level of swank, but maybe she owed Regina a (slight) apology.

“I told you – you travel with me, you get the good stuff,” Carmilla said haughtily.

“Clearly,” Laura said, flashing a grin at Carmilla before practically skipping to the first bedroom. She poked her head in, whistled, then went to the next room. “How many tvs does one person need?” she asked rhetorically, before opening up the balcony door and stepping outside. “There’s a hot tub!” she yelled excitedly over her shoulder, and Carmilla could only shake her head in amusement.

“You are very impressed by material things.”

“That’s the kind of thing someone who’s used to material things would say,” Laura pointed out, stepping back into the room and closing the doors behind her. “The last hotel I stayed at didn’t even have shampoo. And there were pubes in the blanket.”

Carmilla made a face. “Charming. I’m assuming this one has a decent selection of shampoos.”

“Speaking of,” Laura said, walking back to where her bag was and lifting it up, “I could really use a shower. Mind if I hop in?”

“Be my guest,” Carmilla said. “I need to make a quick business call with Matzka anyway.”

“Alrighty,” Laura said. Carmilla was going to make fun of Laura for using the term “alrighty,” but then Laura took a step towards her and gave her a spontaneous kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for convincing me to stay at your super-duper-fancy hotel room.”

“Whatever,” Carmilla said with a shrug, trying to pretend she couldn’t get used to having Laura around to act overly enthusiastic and thank her with kisses. “Go take a shower – I’m sure you’ll freak out about that too.” (She was proven correct when Laura saw the size of the tub and let out an entirely anachronistic, “Jumping Jehosophat!”).

Shaking her head, Carmilla sat down at the table in the living room area and opened her laptop. She pulled up skype and selected Matzka’s icon, leaning back as she waited for her sister to answer.

“Hello darling,” Matzka drawled when her face finally appeared on the screen. “Wasn’t expecting to hear from you until you landed in Vancouver.”

“Yeah, about that,” Carmilla said, grimacing. “The plane engine is fucked until tomorrow. I’m stuck in Regina for the night.”

Matzka winced in sympathy. “My condolences. And I assume that forced you to reschedule the Harmon meeting?”

Carmilla nodded. “But it might be a good thing – I just saw updated numbers on their Seattle office and I think we may need to change our strategy.” Matzka’s eyes lit up with interest, and the two of them spent the next fifteen minutes running through different scenarios and strategies for the meeting. 

They were just wrapping up when Laura stepped out of the bathroom wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, drying her still-wet hair. She stopped when she came in view of the screen and could see Mattie’s face.

“Hi,” Laura said brightly. “You must be Mattie. It’s nice to meet you – Carmilla’s told me all about you.”

“Has she?” Mattie drawled, quirking an eyebrow. “And you are?”

“Oh, sorry,” Laura said, shaking her head and letting out a small laugh. “I’m Laura. Carmilla and I met on the plane.”

“My goodness, Carmilla,” Mattie said, addressing her sister, pressing her hand against her chest in feigned shock. “You certainly worked fast, even for you.”

Before Carmilla could say anything to object, Laura jumped in, her voice indignant.

“It’s not what you think. I was having a panic attack on the plane and Carmilla calmed me down. She’s been very kind to me.”

“That…does not sound like Carmilla,” Mattie pointed out dryly.

“Oh, shut up,” Carmilla said, rolling her eyes. She couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed, which was a feeling she rarely experienced and did not particularly enjoy. “Laura’s only staying at the hotel because I’m helping her out – you wouldn’t believe the hotel they were trying to fob off on the passengers.”

“Well you’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you Carmilla?” Mattie asked, not expecting an answer. She turned back to Laura and flashed a wide smile. “So nice to meet you dear – I’m impressed you managed to put up with my sister for so long.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Laura said, smiling sweetly at Carmilla in that way of hers. “I’m going to blowdry my hair now, but it was really nice meeting you, Mattie.”

“You too,” Mattie said, smiling as she watched Laura head to one of the bedrooms. She turned back to Carmilla, her look already speculative. “She’s pretty,” Mattie offered.

“I told you, I’m just helping her out,” Carmilla grumbled, feeling her face get warm.

“My god, are you blushing?” Mattie asked incredulously, her eyes widening in surprise. “What has gotten into you? Since when have you cared what I think when it comes to pretty girls in your bedroom?”

“I don’t,” Carmilla huffed, having a hard time meeting Mattie’s gaze. “I just…I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“Well this is an interesting development,” Mattie mused, something in her gaze softening. “Apparently you can still manage to surprise me.”

“Oh be quiet,” Carmilla said, deciding that was quite enough of that. “I’m hanging up on you – we’ve got everything sorted and I’m sure you’ve got some networking event to go to.”

“Probably,” Mattie said evenly, before shaking her head. “Fine, I’ll stop prodding you. Try to find what fun you can in Regina, you and Laura.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Carmilla said, letting out a small laugh. “See you soon, Mattie.”

“Good night, Carmilla” Mattie said. Her smile – faint but real – blipped off the screen as Carmilla closed the application.

Carmilla swiveled her chair around just as Laura walked out of the bedroom. Her hair was hanging in damp curls around her face, and Carmilla was having a very hard time not noticing how her white t-shirt clung to her curves, especially in the spots where Laura hadn’t been as thorough in drying off.

Carmilla cleared her throat, forcing her face into a neutral expression. “So that was Mattie.”

“So that was Mattie,” Laura repeated, giving her hair one more vigorous rub before draping the towel around her neck and smiling at Carmilla. “You know, I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but I overheard some of your conversation after I got out of the shower. I know you’ve complained about work, but you sort of…light up, when you’re talking about it with her.”

“Huh,” Carmilla said, considering Laura’s words, a slight frown crinkling her forehead. Then she shrugged. “I guess I do enjoy it. I enjoy the power of it. I can’t lie – it’s not bad being 26 and being able to walk into a room full of people and have everyone sit straight and listen. And I’m good at it.” Carmilla chuckled, shaking her head ruefully. “I have to be, to keep up with Mattie. She would never let me work with her if I dragged her down. This job keeps me on my feet. I just…don’t like all the aspects of it.”

Laura nodded, and took a few steps closer to Carmilla to settle on the puffy chair near the desk. “So, I’m going to use my fourth question, and no complaining,” she commanded, stopping the objection on Carmilla’s lips. “What would you want to do if you weren’t doing this job?”

Carmilla frowned, trying to decide if she wanted to tell the truth. But Laura’s face was so expectant, and frustratingly trusting, that she felt like she couldn’t lie. Carmilla sighed. “I guess if I wasn’t doing this…I would be writing.”

“Writing?” Laura exclaimed, and then immediately looked contrite. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so surprised. It’s just…I didn’t really expect that.”

Carmilla shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’s not something I usually share with people. I used to write a lot in college – mostly fiction, some essays. But the kind of writing I do now for work tends to suck the creativity out of me.”

“So other than the obvious reason that writing has a reputation for being a pauper’s job – journalism major here, so I know what I’m talking about – why are you doing this job if you don’t love it?”

“Look, cupcake,” Carmilla began dryly, “you don’t grow up in my mother’s household and not take the path she wants you to.”

“Okay, sure, I guess,” Laura said, giving a wave of her hand as if to brush Carmilla’s words away. “I get it, your mom’s overbearing. But you seem pretty…independent.” Carmilla smirked, and Laura frowned. “Why does her opinion matter so much?”

Carmilla felt her shoulders get tense, and forced herself to relax. She didn’t know why she was being so forthcoming, but she decided she was too deep to quit now. “It’s complicated,” she began slowly. “Let’s just say…I didn’t exactly have the best childhood before I was adopted. I had some…rough…placements. It’s hard not to grow up with a sense of obligation to the people who take you out of that, even if they’re not the ideal parents.” Laura’s face was filling with consternation and sympathy, which Carmilla wanted to forestall. “And there’s Mattie,” Carmilla continued. “I pretty much idolized her growing up, and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, which eventually meant joining the family company. And like I said, I enjoy the work, usually – I just don’t enjoy doing it my mother’s way.”

“Do you think Mattie would mind if you just…quit?” Laura asked, searching Carmilla’s face. “I mean, if you were just, like, nope, I’m a writer now.”

Carmilla lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Nah. Matzka doesn’t care what I do, just as long as I don’t half-ass it. She’d probably enjoy me pissing off our mom almost as much as I would.”

Laura laughed. “You guys have a very weird family dynamic.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Carmilla said dryly, before shaking her head. “Okay, enough questions nosey. I’m hungry – let’s order room service.”

“Ooh, room service!” Laura exclaimed, her eyes lighting up like a little kid’s. “Can I get waffles?”

“You can get whatever you want, weirdo,” Carmilla said, but even she could hear the affection in her voice. Laura clapped her hands together in glee, and bounced over to give Carmilla a peck on the cheek. Once again, Carmilla felt herself think, _I could get used to this_ , before she shook her head in mild disgust at herself. 

True to her word, Laura ordered waffles, with whipped cream and strawberries on top. She also ordered hot chocolate and bacon, looking slightly embarrassed when she did so. Carmilla stuck to a more modest club sandwich.

While they were waiting for their food to arrive, they piled into Carmilla’s bed and turned on the tv. Laura started flipping through channels and almost immediately ran across a Buffy re-run.

“Ooh, Season 3!” Laura said excitedly, before catching herself and looking hesitantly at Carmilla. “I mean, we don’t have to watch this. It’s not like I’m that big a fan or anything.”

“Sure you’re not, creampuff,” Carmilla said dryly, and Laura made a face and stuck her tongue out at her. “I’m not really a fan of vampires, but we can watch whatever you want.”

As soon as they started watching the episode, Carmilla started asking questions: 

“Who’s the hot brunette?”

“When the vampires go poof how come their clothes also disappear?”

“Why does anyone still live in this town if everyone keeps getting straight-up murdered?”

“How is that vampire smoking? Vampires can’t possibly have functioning lungs. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Laura’s patient answers became increasingly impatient, and her voice became squeakier and squeakier with indignation in a way that delighted Carmilla to no end. Finally, after Carmilla innocently asked, “How do they afford all these weapons? Medieval crossbows aren’t cheap, you know,” Laura let out an infuriated noise and shoved Carmilla back into the pillow before straddling her. 

“I don’t know!” she said, her voice high-pitched, her hands gesticulating wildly. “Maybe they stole them! Maybe Giles had a box lying under his bed. Who cares? Can’t you just watch the show for five minutes without asking all these questions, which are really not the point of the show – it’s a metaphor for, like, all these things – “

“You’re adorable when you’re angry, you know that?” Carmilla interrupted, grinning up at Laura. Laura froze, taking in a deep breath as she realized how easily Carmilla had played her. She frowned, opening her mouth to say something else indignant. Carmilla stopped her short by leaning up to kiss her. Laura went still for just a moment, but then she sank into the kiss, letting Carmilla’s head fall back to the pillow as they kissed. It didn’t take long before the kisses got hungrier. In one movement, Carmilla flipped Laura over so Carmilla was on top. She kissed just below Laura’s ear, then further down her neck, sucking gently in a way that made Laura gasp and buck upwards, just slightly. Carmilla grinned against her skin and was about to kiss lower when she heard a knock on the door and the call of, “Room service.”

“Dammit,” Carmilla said, looking up at Laura and frowning. “You better enjoy these waffles.”

“Oh I will,” Laura said, trying to sound indifferent. It was hard to believe her, though, when she was panting slightly and staring at Carmilla like she wanted to tear every article of clothing off her body. Carmilla gave a little shiver at the thought. She puffed out a laugh and reluctantly rolled out of bed, padding over to the door to pay the bellhop and get their food.

Carmilla watched in mild amazement as Laura sucked down her waffle, bacon, and hot chocolate in a matter of minutes. “Geeze, poptart, you know how to pack it in.”

Laura shrugged, wiping whipped cream off her mouth and licking her finger, which made Carmilla’s eyes go a little wide. “It’s a skill.”

“Mm,” Carmilla responded, finishing off the last bite of her own meal. “You know,” she continued, her tone mischievous, “I’ve probably seen every episode of Buffy at least four times.”

“What!” Laura exclaimed, punching Carmilla lightly on the shoulder. “You’re horrible.”

“Sometimes,” Carmilla agreed, smirking at Laura before leaning in for a long, lingering kiss. Laura tasted like strawberries (real ones from her waffles – that wasn’t metaphorical). They finally broke away, and Laura gave a little sigh of disappointment that made Carmilla’s chest do a flip-flop.

“Soooo,” Laura said, fingers toying with the edge of her shirt. “What do you want to do now?”

 _Tear your clothes off and make you moan my name_ , Carmilla thought. Instead she said, “Let’s go exploring.”

“Oh, okay,” Laura said, her face falling, her disappointment palpable.

“Hey, cupcake,” Carmilla said, reaching out to touch Laura’s hand. “There’s plenty of time for that later.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Laura said brightly. “I mean, whatever _that_ even means.”

“Doofus,” Carmilla said, shaking her head before reaching down to grab Laura’s hand, pulling her up. “Let me change real quick and then I’ll be good to go.”

Just then, they both received a text on their phones. It was from the airline, telling them that they would all be going to Vancouver on the next flight in the morning. “Oh, thank god,” Carmilla said. “I was afraid we’d never leave Regina.”

Carmilla changed into a pair of black skinny jeans and a slightly nicer black top, along with her black Frye boots. When she came out of the bedroom, Laura was in jeans and a collared chambray that made her look like the cutest little prep schooler who ever was.

“Rude,” Carmilla said, shaking her head. “You’re not supposed to look that cute in a buttondown.”

Laura blushed and looked down at her shoes. “For a curmudgeon you’re kind of sweet sometimes.”

“Don’t let anyone know,” Carmilla said, taking a step towards Laura so she could whisper in her ear. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

Laura smiled up at Carmilla. Carmilla was anticipating a kiss, but instead Laura whirled around and tugged at Carmilla’s hand. “C’mon. You said you wanted to go exploring. Let’s go explore.” All Carmilla could do was follow.

 

********

The first place they went to, naturally, was the hotel bar. Carmilla bought Laura’s drink – some disgusting fruity beverage, of course – and they spent a half hour just talking. Laura was finally making some progress on getting Carmilla to admit she had read Harry Potter when a slightly disheveled man dressed in business-casual stumbled past the bar, clearly three sheets to the wind. 

“Well that’s interesting,” Carmilla said, looking down at her empty whiskey glass and preparing to order another. Laura’s eyes had followed the man’s path, and her expression was speculative.

“Let’s go see,” Laura said, standing up from her chair impetuously.

“What?” Carmilla replied, looking over at Laura and narrowing her eyes at her.

“Let’s go see where he came from,” Laura said insistently, tugging at Carmilla’s hand. “He looks like he was having a better time than anyone at this bar.” Carmilla glanced around, noting that there were a rather large number of despondent patrons drinking by themselves. She looked over at Laura’s open, excited face, and that sealed the deal.

“You win,” Carmilla said, laying some money down on the bar to cover their drinks. “Let’s go exploring.” Laura rewarded her with a blinding smile and a kiss, which already made it worth it.

They left the bar and turned the corner where the man had come from. As they went further down the hall they could hear the faint pulsing of music, and when they rounded another corner they came upon one of the hotel’s event spaces. The lobby held a dozen or so men and women in business casual, who had clearly wandered out to grab a drink from the pop-up bar before wandering back into the ballroom where the music was coming from. A banner hanging above the bar said, “Cazgo, Inc.: Congratulations for 25 Great Years. Where our employees go, Cazgos.”

“’Where our employees go, Cazgos?’” Carmilla scoffed. “That has got to be the worst tagline I’ve ever heard. Isn’t Cazgo the snow tire company?”

“Yep,” Laura said, looking around the room. “They’re clearly having a corporate celebration. Oh well,” she said, shrugging disappointedly. “I thought it would be something more exciting.”

“What are you talking about?” Carmilla said, looking at Laura incredulously. “From where I’m standing, we’ve got an opportunity to get free booze, dance, and make fun of boring corporate types. What’s not to like?”

“You like to dance?” Laura asked skeptically.

“Everyone likes to dance,” Carmilla stated, rolling her eyes. “Now c’mon – try to fit in.” She grabbed Laura’s hand and tugged her to the other side of the room, where they merged with the line of employees waiting for the open bar. The man and woman in front of them briefly stopped their conversation to look at Laura and Carmilla, clearly noting that their attire and age didn’t quite match with everyone else’s.

“Can you _believe_ Barbara in accounting?” Carmilla said to Laura, ignoring the other two. “I told her there was something wrong with my payroll, but she kept telling me I didn’t understand how taxes worked on my paycheck. But then I showed her Nancy’s paystub – do you know Nancy? She’s a doll – and then, well, then Barb just _had_ to agree with me. But can you imagine the nerve of that woman? As if I don’t know how much I make each month.”

“No, I sure can’t,” Laura said, struggling to keep her face serious and not burst into laughter. “Barb’s a real bitch, you know?”

“Oh, _such_ a bitch,” Carmilla said, grinning at Laura. The two people in front of them had lost interest midway through Carmilla’s rant, clearly deciding that only a true employee would be that invested in office gossip.

“You’re good at this,” Laura murmured to Carmilla.

“I have a lot of practice crashing parties,” Carmilla murmured back. “It’s all about the attitude, cupcake.” They reached the head of the line and Carmilla ordered them both drinks.

They took their drinks and wandered into the ballroom. Someone had put up some half-assed decorations and a few other Cazgo banners. Roughly forty people were either milling around the edges of the room or dancing to whatever the DJ was playing, which right now was old-school Destiny’s Child. It seemed like the party had been going on for a while – there were quite a few sloppy drunks who clearly had no qualms taking advantage of company-paid booze.

“This is too tragic,” Carmilla said mock-sympathetically, and Laura punched her lightly on the shoulder.

“Don’t be mean,” Laura said. “They’re just people having a good time. Middle-aged desk jockeys need some R&R too, you know.”

“Well aren’t you a ball of sunshine,” Carmilla said, before leaning over and sneaking a kiss out of Laura.

“I try,” Laura said, once they came up for air. Then her eyes lit up as the unmistakable sound of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” came on. “Ok, we have to dance to this.”

Carmilla sighed. “I know you think I’m going to argue with you, but you’re right – it’s illegal to listen to this song and not dance, even in Regina.”

Laura laughed and grabbed Carmilla’s hand, pulling her to the dance floor. And then, they danced. They danced through Whitney Houston, and then some Jackson 5 (the DJ was surprisingly good), and then some recent pop hits. Laura could be an undeniably dorky dancer, making Carmilla hold back laughter whenever she would bust out the windshield wiper or the sprinkler or whatever dumb dance she made up. But she would also shimmy up to Carmilla, close and warm and sweaty, her eyes bright and inviting, and it was all Carmilla could do not to pull her into the nearest hotel room and lick the sweat off her neck. In turn, Carmilla definitely noticed the way Laura couldn’t keep her eyes off the sliver of skin at her belly whenever she raised her arms over her head while they danced, and how she touched her more and more as the night progressed. They danced close to each other, skin to skin, Carmilla’s hand sliding down Laura’s back and lower. She was sure some of the Cazgo employees would have been scandalized, if they weren’t all so drunk.

They went back to the bar a few times – at this point no one seemed sober enough to question whether the two of them belonged. When Carmilla came back with their third drink, she found Laura talking to a stranger – a frumpy looking woman in a red pantsuit.

“I think you just need to go for it, Margaret,” Laura was saying firmly, resting her hand on the woman’s shoulder and looking her in the eye. “You deserve that raise. You’ve been there longer than anyone else at your level, and you’re good at your job. Don’t let Tom make you think you’re not worth every penny. They should be begging you let them pay you more.”

“You’re right,” the woman said, nodding her head. “Thanks so much for your advice – “ she trailed off.

“Laura,” Laura said, finishing her sentence. “I’m in…human resources. Hope to see you again at the next office shindig – good luck.”

“Thanks,” the woman said, beaming at Laura before slipping away into the crowd.

“Did you just give career advice to a woman you met in the time it took me to get a drink?” Carmilla asked, handing Laura her gin and tonic.

“Yep,” Laura said brightly. “That was Margaret – she’s been trying to work up the nerve to ask for a raise for years. I’m very personable.”

“I’m getting that,” Carmilla said, shaking her head and looking at Laura admiringly.

“Okay, back to dancing!” Laura said, turning back to the dance floor.

At a certain point the DJ switched to some slow Sinatra, which made some of the partiers groan in disappointment. But Carmilla just pulled Laura closer to her, wrapping her arm around Laura’s waist and holding her other hand. They danced together slowly, Carmilla feeling Laura’s heart race where their chests touched. Whenever Laura looked at Carmilla, Carmilla could tell she was fighting back a grin. Laura let her cheek rest against Carmilla’s, and Carmilla nuzzled Laura’s neck, breathing in the scent she was already starting to love. When the song ended Laura pulled back just enough to look at Carmilla with those big, dreamy eyes. She leaned in and kissed Carmilla, for long enough that some of the other dancers were beginning to take note. Finally they broke away and Carmilla let out an unsteady breath.

“I need some air,” she croaked, and Laura nodded.

They walked back out to the lobby, Carmilla debating whether it was wise to get another drink. Just then, an officious-looking man in a suit came their way, frowning.

“Excuse me,” he said, “but I don’t recognize either of you. Are you part of the Cazgo team?”

Carmilla opened her mouth, ready to make some explanation. But before she could do so, Laura yelled, “We’ve been made – go, go, go!” She grabbed Carmilla’s hand, and began running towards the hall where they’d come. Carmilla didn’t have much choice but to follow. They rounded the corner, and at Laura’s shout of, “Up the stairs – they won’t expect that!” they ran up to the fifth floor where their room was. When they reached the hallway, they stopped, both panting at the exertion. Once Carmilla finally got most of her breath back, she started laughing.

“You spaz,” she said, shaking her head. “You could not _possibly_ have overreacted more.”

“I panicked,” Laura said defensively. “I’m not much of a rule-breaker, you know, and it seemed like the best option at the time.” But then she seemed to realize how ridiculous the whole thing was, and she started laughing too, which set Carmilla off again.

“C’mon, creampuff,” Carmilla said finally, after she’d caught her breath. “Let’s get back to our room before you do something even more insane.”

When they got back to their room, Carmilla opened the door, tossing the keycard on the table. She turned around, ready to ask Laura if she wanted anything to drink. But Laura had closed the distance between them, pulling Carmilla into a long, needy kiss. Laura’s arms snaked around Carmilla’s waist, and Carmilla cupped Laura’s face so she could kiss her deeper. They pulled apart for a moment, and Laura breathed, “Bed.” Carmilla nodded vigorously, returning to kissing Laura as they stumbled into the nearest bedroom. 

No sooner had the back of Laura’s knees hit the bed then Carmilla was tugging her pants off. Carmilla crawled up Laura’s body, running kisses up her neck as she unbuttoned Laura’s shirt one-handed. Carmilla could feel Laura’s pulse beating where her lips met her neck, and she swallowed Laura’s moan when she pressed her leg between hers. Carmilla kissed her way down the other side of Laura’s neck and down her chest, before deftly removing Laura’s bra. Laura let out a gasp and clutched at Carmilla’s hair when Carmilla circled her tongue around her nipple, nipping it before turning her attention to the other. Carmilla continued her way kissing down Laura’s belly, relishing the way her soft skin felt against her lips. 

She slid back until she was resting on her knees on the floor, Laura’s hips just over the bed. Carmilla would normally have spent more time on foreplay, but she had been thinking about this for hours and didn’t think she could stand another minute without making Laura come. She looked up at Laura from that position, her fingers hovering at the edge of her underwear. “Is this okay?” Carmilla asked, her voice throaty with need.

“Yes,” Laura croaked out. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes dilated, her chest rising and falling in small pants. She looked achingly beautiful, to Carmilla’s eyes. “Jesus, please Carmilla.”

Carmilla grinned then, and did exactly what Laura wanted. The feel of Laura – bucking against her, clutching her hair, calling her name as she came – was everything Carmilla wanted. Or at least that’s what she thought, until Laura pulled her up onto the bed so they could kiss again. With hungry fingers, Laura pulled Carmilla’s shirt off, then helped her shuck her pants and underwear. When Laura touched her, Carmilla drew in sharp breath, kissing Laura almost desperately. When she came, it was with Laura’s name on her lips as she buried her face at Laura’s neck.

They lay like that for a moment, tangled up in each other and breathing heavily. Carmilla lifted her head enough to run a trail of kisses up Laura’s neck, ending at her lips. They kissed languidly, enjoying the feeling of each other’s skin. Carmilla brushed a strand of hair away from Laura’s eyes, looking into them as she smiled.

“I’ve been thinking about that for hours,” Carmilla said, her voice husky.

“I’ve been thinking about that since we got to the hotel room,” Laura said, smirking. “I was really counting on you not being a gentlewoman.”

This startled a laugh out of Carmilla, who shook her head before bending down to kiss Laura again. “You want me to not be a gentlewoman again?” she murmured into Laura’s ear, her hand already sliding down Laura’s side.

“Yes,” Laura said, and Carmilla could feel her nodding enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, yes.”

It was some time before they actually went to sleep.

Laura fell asleep first, her arms and legs tangled up in Carmilla’s. Carmilla took a moment to watch her as she slept, to take in her features and the soft expression on her face. She placed a gentle kiss on Laura’s forehead before settling down on her pillow and closing her eyes. Her last thought, just before she feel asleep, was that she couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy.

 

*****

Laura woke up the next morning a few minutes before her alarm went off. They’d forgotten to close the blinds, and dawn’s sunlight was shining brightly into their room. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but her memory was jogged when she turned to see Carmilla asleep next to her. Carmilla was lying on her stomach, her right arm flung across Laura’s body. Her hair was a tousled mess, falling in curls on her bare shoulder. Her face looked peaceful, all the usual scowls and snark smoothed away in sleep. The sight made Laura smile, and without even thinking she leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Carmilla’s lips.

She didn’t mean for it to wake Carmilla up, but when she pulled away she saw that Carmilla’s eyes had opened and she was looking at Laura more softly that Laura realized she was capable of.

“Hi,” Laura said quietly.

“Hi,” Carmilla said, voice husky from sleep. Then they just grinned at each other for a moment, like a couple of idiots, before Laura leaned down again for a longer kiss. 

“I like waking up with you,” Laura said, letting her finger stroke across Carmilla’s face.

“Me too,” Carmilla said, her lips curling upwards, her expression almost shy.

That was when Laura’s alarm went off. Carmilla pulled back with a groan. “Is that alarm right?”

Laura pulled her phone off of the bed to look at the time. “Christ on a cracker!” she said, already scrambling out of bed. “I somehow set it a half hour later than I meant to. We’ve got to start moving if we want to make the flight on time.”

Carmilla groaned again, pulling the pillow over her face. But then she seemed to resign herself, because she threw the pillow away and rolled out of bed, stumbling towards the bathroom. They moved quickly after that, showering and packing up their bags. They didn’t say a lot, but almost every time they passed by each other Carmilla would let her fingers run over Laura’s arm, or Laura would pull Carmilla to her for a kiss.

They finally made it out of the hotel and into a cab. They were both companionably quiet, still waiting for their hotel coffee to kick in. When they got to the airport, they went through security and joined the others waiting at the terminal. Laura made a quick call to her dad, letting him know their flight was on time and she’d be in Vancouver soon. Then they killed the 45 minutes before take-off with Laura doing a crossword puzzle, and Carmilla snarkily telling her all of the clues she was getting wrong. Laura protested that Carmilla was being a pretentious asshole, but secretly she didn’t mind.

This distracted Laura so much that she nearly forgot that they were about to fly again, even if only for a couple of hours. Carmilla picked up on Laura’s sudden tension as they entered the began boarding, because she reached over and slid her fingers through Laura’s.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” she said reassuringly, knocking her shoulder gently against Laura’s. “I’ll be right next to you, being a pain in the ass and distracting you.”

Laura nodded and squeezed Carmilla’s hand. True to her word, Carmilla was on top form on the flight, making snide comments and supercilious jokes that kept Laura alternating between laughing and chastising her for being so mean. And yes, Laura did clutch onto Carmilla as the plane took off. But Carmilla just wrapped her arm around Laura and pulled her to her, placing a soft kiss at her temple.

“I got you, cupcake,” she said. “This plane ain’t got nothing on Carmilla Karnstein.” And somehow, Laura found that was true. 

 

*****

When they had landed and de-boarded, they both headed towards the exit, neither having any checked luggage. They held hands through the terminal, not saying much. Laura was only just now allowing herself to realize that this was all about to end. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t let herself think about what it meant when they left the airport, apart. She knew Carmilla liked her, but she also knew that Carmilla had a life of her own – a career, a pretty clear history of collecting and discarding women. They were strangers, really, and Laura was trying her hardest to convince herself that she was fine with this whole thing just being a good story she could tell her friends. She wasn’t doing a very good job.

“So, your dad’s waiting for you in his car?” Carmilla asked, breaking the silence. 

“Yep,” Laura said, nodding. “You’re taking a cab to your apartment?”

“Yep,” Carmilla confirmed. They reached the airport exit and went through the automatic doors, and were immediately hit by the brisk October air. Carmilla gave a little shiver and turned to Laura , her expression hesitant.

“Would it…would it be okay if I visited you while you’re in Vancouver? I mean, after you’ve spent time with your dad, of course.” Carmilla’s face was guarded, as if she was trying not to let any hope shine through too much. Laura’s eyes softened, and she felt such a swelling of affection for this person she had only just met, she almost couldn’t stand it. Laura reached up and cupped Carmilla’s face, pulling her in for a kiss.

“Of course,” she said when they finally pulled away, and she was rewarded when Carmilla’s face blossomed into a rare, genuine smile.

“Okay,” Carmilla said, nodding once, loopy smile still plastered on her face before she seemed to realize it and turned it into an expression of indifference. 

“You know, we’ve got an office in Montreal. My mother’s been trying to get me to take on more responsibility, maybe try my hand at running one of the Montreal branches. Maybe it’s time I show her how I would handle things.”

“Huh,” Laura said, unable to stop a smile from breaking out on her face. “Montreal just happens to be where I spend most of the year at school.”

“How ‘bout that?” Carmilla drawled in fake surprise. “Maybe I’ll look you up when I’m there. You know, if I need someone to recommend which gummy bear flavor pairs well with cheap dorm beer.”

“Hey, I’m your girl,” Laura said jokingly, spreading her hands in mock-acceptance. To her surprise, Carmilla was looking at her with an expression Laura would almost call wonder, as if she had just realized something about herself.

“Yeah,” Carmilla said, reaching out to link her fingers with Laura’s, her eyes bright. “I think you just might be.”

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if you're from Regina - Carmilla's a jerk about it, not me.


End file.
